Nine Going to Post in Florida Derby

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Stormello has a score to settle.Notional has nothing to settle, but his running style seems to be aperfect fit for the race. Their trainers have different reasons for shipping crosscountry, but their West Coast-based colts are part of a formidablefield for Saturday's $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, afinal steppingstone to the Kentucky Derby on May 5. Stormello is out to avenge a nose loss in the Fountain of Youthto Scat Daddy , who was made the slight 5-2 morning-line favoriteat Wednesday's post position draw. Stormello is 3-1. Bill Currin, who co-bred, co-owns and trains Stormello, couldhave avoided a tough nine-horse field - and a long flight fromCalifornia - if he chose another Derby prep, say the Santa AnitaDerby on April 7. But he's looking forward to the rematch with ScatDaddy. "I'm not looking to duck anybody," Currin said during aconference call this week. "I have one objective and that is towin the Kentucky Derby. You're not going to win it by picking andchoosing soft spots. This is not a claiming race. This is aboutchampions." Doug O'Neill has his own reasons for showing up. Notional, thethird choice at 4-1, is one of three Derby hopefuls he trains forPaul Reddam - Great Hunter and Liquidity are the others. In tryingto keep them apart until the Derby, the choice for Notional wasbased on the way the Fountain of Youth unfolded at Gulfstream onMarch 3. "They didn't come home real fast and we thought this horsemight fit really well down there - a lot of speed and he slips inbehind," said Dennis O'Neill, the assistant for his brother, Doug."After that race, we huddled up and said for $1 million we mightget a really good trip behind all the speed and put us in a reallygood spot." Stormello, a huge chestnut son of Icy Atlantic, comes into the 11/8-mile race with three victories in eight starts, including a winover Notional in the Hollywood Futurity in December. He drew theNo. 5 post and will be ridden by Victor Espinoza, who replaces KentDesormeaux, one of several jockeys riding in Dubai this weekend. In the Fountain of Youth, it was all Stormello until the finalstrides, when Scat Daddy came flying down the stretch on theoutside and won by a scant nose. "Until then I didn't have a score to settle with Scat Daddy,"Currin said. "But once Scat Daddy caught me without seeing him onthe outside he created a score ... I was so proud of my horse. Ithought I had it won." Currin said the race didn't take much out of Stormello. "I was pleased because he came back as if he never went intothe race," he said, "so we'll have plenty of good times." Notional, meanwhile, was steered clear of trouble by jockeyRobby Albarado in winning the Risen Star at the Fair Grounds onFeb. 10. In that race, favorite Circular Quay was making a movealong the inside at the top of the stretch when he all but stoppedas the horse in front of him clipped heels and tossed his rider.Notional won by 2¼ lengths and is 2-for-2 this year. The son of InExcess took the San Rafael on Jan. 13. "The race sets up well for him and he should get a really goodtrip in behind the speed," Dennis O'Neill said. "Doug and I wouldbe a little disappointed if he didn't win, but you hope he'sfinishing well and coming on good and it sets him up for the Derbyfive weeks out. That would be perfect for him." Notional drew the No. 1 post. Scat Daddy, trained by Todd Pletcher, drew the No. 3 post andwill be ridden by Edgar Prado, who gets the mount while JohnVelazquez rides in Dubai on Saturday. Cornelio Velasquez fills infor Prado aboard Adore the Gold, who was fourth by a length in theFountain of Youth. The field, from the rail out, is Notional, Imawildandcrazyguy,Scat Daddy, Adore the Gold, Stormello, Chelokee, Boogie Boggs,Johannesburg Star and Birdbirdistheword.

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